The Sheik and I

by Linda Winstead Jones

  After much kissing and touching, she felt bold enough to wrap her fingers around his erection, to stroke and explore and arouse. Kadir’s response was to growl low in his throat and roll her onto her back. He swiftly put on the condom and spread her thighs with his knee, and she awaited the joining she wanted so badly. But Kadir didn’t immediately give her what she wanted. Instead he touched her, he traced her with his fingers and slipped one finger inside her again.

  He was making sure she was ready in all ways. He was thinking of her, even now.

  “It’s time, Kadir.” She wrapped her legs around his hips as he guided himself to her and slowly, very slowly, pushed inside her waiting body. She held her breath, savoring and wondering and, yes, worrying a little. Kadir wasn’t accustomed to inexperienced women, she knew that. Would he be disappointed in her? She wanted him to experience the joy that overwhelmed her. There should be no disappointment in this night.

  When he was fully and completely inside her, every worry danced out of Cassandra’s mind. Her body had already begun to tremble in anticipation. Ripples of pleasurable sensation flickered through her.

  Kadir began to move slowly, tenderly, and she moved with him, her hips rising and falling, her heartbeat racing. Her body had not only adjusted to accept his, it welcomed him. They fit together perfectly, in a way that surely no other two people ever had, or ever would. He had been made for her, and she had been made for him.

  She quit thinking while he made love to her. Her instincts took over completely, and she found herself holding on, rising higher in order to take him deeper, and they found that rhythm that took them beyond all questioning, all worrying. There was just this, and for now that was fine. It was very fine.

  Cassandra gasped and held on to him as the sensations grew, and then she shattered, crying out as the orgasm washed through her body with a force she had not expected. Kadir came with her, his body stiffening and lurching as he drove deeper than before.

  Everything slowed, and eventually she was able to breathe again. Her body was exhausted, in a new and entirely wonderful way.

  What she felt at this moment, it was so powerful it must be love. What else could fill her heart this way? What else could make her feel as if the entire world had changed just for the two of them? She wanted to tell Kadir that she loved him, but since she had already mentioned the L-word once tonight, and he had not, she decided to leave it alone. For now. If love was meant to come, she suspected there would be no stopping it.

  Kadir rolled away from her and headed for the bathroom to dispose of the condom. If he was going to be around for a while, she might want to see about some other form of birth control, something that wouldn’t come between them or require that momentary delay. It was unlikely he would be around long enough for her to address that concern. She dismissed the worry from her mind because she didn’t want anything, not even thoughts of the future, to spoil what they had tonight.

  Very soon, Kadir slipped back into bed, large and warm and naked, and he pulled her body against his. He was silent for a moment, and then he whispered, “Are you all right?”

  He was worried about her because this was her first time, because she had been a virgin.

  “I’m fine,” she said, and then she laughed lightly. “No, I’m more than fine. I’ve never felt so absolutely wonderful in my entire life.”

  “Good.” Kadir sounded relieved.

  They found a comfortable position where arms and legs linked and bodies fit together, and very soon Cassandra fell into a slumber so deep it was unlike any other she had ever known. All was right with the world; her world, at least. It was the dreamless sleep of a well-loved woman.

  Kadir remained awake long after Cassandra’s breathing fell into the deep, even breathing of sleep.

  Cassandra was a beautiful, sensual woman, and he had wanted her beneath him for what seemed like a very long time. Still, he had attempted to be prudent where she was concerned, knowing their future was not only uncertain, it was nonexistent.

  Her talk of flowers unsmelled and sunsets unseen had undone him and all his prudence, but that wasn’t the only reason he’d so gladly taken her as the lover she’d asked to become.

  Betrayal from within had always been a possibility, and still he was greatly disquieted by the possibility that the person responsible for the explosion that had taken many lives had been a comrade, if not a friend. A part of him wanted to believe that York had seen one of Zahid’s soldiers, a terrorist who had somehow managed to follow Kadir and his party to Leonia and plant the explosive.

  But that was not logical. Logic insisted that the assassin had come to Leonia with Kadir, and that he’d had an opportunity to plant a bomb because he was welcomed on the yacht.

  Tonight he had allowed himself to dismiss logic and hide inside Cassandra, for a while, to lose his fears and his anger in her in a way that was undeniably magnificent. She thought what she felt was love, but she’d soon enough discover that was not the case. What she felt was physical. Women often confused the needs of the body with the needs of the heart. Kadir did not.

  But this was nice. He liked to feel her lying beside him, to watch her smile and moan and touch with the amazement that can only come with something new and beautiful. Cassandra and all she offered, however temporary, might very well save his sanity while he searched for the truth.

  The truth would not be easy to find, but if Zahid had been involved in Prince Reginald’s murder, then the proof was likely here, in this country. Uncovering the facts of Zahid’s involvement would help them all. Cassandra would be a hero for solving the mystery of the royal assassination. Simon York would get his damned exclusive.

  And Kadir would be able to turn the entire world against Zahid Bin-Asfour and his followers. Fostering a primitive culture was one thing; assassination was another entirely.

  He would be in this country for a while longer. Days, perhaps weeks. In that time, he would gladly keep Cassandra as his lover. He admired and liked her, he was intensely attracted to her, he enjoyed her company. But before he left, she had to understand that this was no more than any other short-lived affair. They could comfort one another, they could find pleasure and companionship in this bed. But when it was over, it would be well and truly over.

  She did not belong in his world, and he had no place in hers.

  Kadir had half expected a visit from the police sometime Monday night. He’d given his name as Joe, after pulling the injured man at the photo shop from the fire, and several people had seen him leave the scene with Cassandra. It wouldn’t exactly be difficult to make the connection, since they’d been all over town that morning and he’d been introduced a dozen times as her boyfriend.

  But no one came looking for Kadir, or Joe. No one arrived to question Cassandra, either. She didn’t understand the why of that, not until she received an early-morning call from Ms. Dunn.

  The older woman almost always appeared to be tough and uncaring, but she did care, in her own brisk way. Her frequent calls were intended to make sure Cassandra was all right, and during Tuesday morning’s call—a call which awakened Cassandra from a sound sleep—Ms. Dunn asked pointedly if the investigators had dropped by the cottage to ask questions. Cassandra assured her boss that since the evening of the explosion, no one had questioned her about what she’d seen.

  “Good. I told the investigators that were dispatched to give you a few days to recover from the shock,” Ms. Dunn said, apparently relieved. “The local police have your statement, and that’s sufficient for now.”

  “Thank you.” Cassandra glanced over at Kadir. He was awake, but still drowsy. He didn’t look as if he’d slept well. “I could use a few more days to myself, and it isn’t as if I can tell the investigators anything I haven’t already told the local officers.”

  “Precisely,” Ms. Dunn responded. “You can certainly have a few days. I would like to have you back in the office by the weekend,” she added. “Next Monday at the very latest. The week before th
e gala is always hectic, and I’ll need you here.” Once again, the tone was sharp.

  “Of course,” Cassandra answered, having no real idea when she might return to the ministry.

  When the call was done she closed her eyes. It was early, the sun was barely up, but she didn’t expect sleep to return. She was well rested, but also languid. Maybe they could stay in bed and make love all day. It was a nice idea.

  Kadir pulled her close, as if his thoughts mirrored hers. He nuzzled her neck and cupped one breast in a warm, large hand. Long fingers rocked and danced over her skin. That easy, familiar touch made Cassandra feel as if she were literally melting.

  “Good morning,” he said, his voice deep and slightly gruff.

  “Good morning.” Cassandra smiled. He was seducing her all over again—not that she actually needed to be seduced. His hands already seemed to know her body well, and she responded to him without taking the time to think about the whys and the shoulds, the why nots and the should nots. She just enjoyed. In fact, she reveled.

  She raked her fingers along his back, his side, his hip. Caressing him this way was much easier than she’d thought it would be. There had been such a steady wall between her and the opposite sex until she’d met Kadir. She knew very well how to keep men at a distance; she’d been doing that for years. Now she was learning how to draw one in, and in spite of her inexperience she didn’t think she was doing too badly.

  If she thought too much about what she was doing, she might find reasons to stop. So she didn’t think. She touched, and kissed and whispered.

  She more than half expected Kadir to roll her onto her back and push inside her. After all, there were condoms on the bedside table, not so very far away. But he didn’t reach for one. Instead, he sighed and rolled away from her, leaving the bed altogether.

  “Much as I would like to spend the day in bed,” he said, “we have work ahead of us today.”

  “I’m rather tired of working,” she confessed.

  Naked, aroused…beautiful…Kadir stopped at the bathroom door, turned slowly and grinned at her. And her heart did all sorts of unexpected tricks in response.

  “It would be too easy to spend the day in bed with you,” he confessed. “Much too easy.” The grin faded. “It would, in fact, be very easy to remain dead. To become Joe and have nothing in the world to do but love you.”

  Love in the physical sense, Cassandra knew without being reminded.

  “It would be too easy, Cassandra, to hide here with you. But that’s not who I am, so this morning I will take a cold shower and go to town without you. You should stay here and rest. Sleep a while longer. Think only of pleasant things. Let me deal with the unpleasantness of the world, just for today, while you rest here.”

  Kadir went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, and a moment later Cassandra heard the water begin to run. And a few minutes after that, she slipped from the bed and joined him. They didn’t have time to waste, she knew that. He wanted her; she needed him.

  Today she would not allow Kadir to shower alone, any more than she’d allow him to take on the unpleasantness of the world without her.

  For someone who’d been a virgin yesterday, Cassandra was quite insistent about what she wanted. Insistent, and persistent and unfailingly determined.

  He had given her what she’d wanted when she’d joined him in the shower. How could he not? Afterward she had insisted on coming with him to the village once again. This time he had argued more strenuously—for all the good it had done him. If Sharif called, he would leave a message or call back, she’d argued. If the police stopped by to question her—or him—wouldn’t it be best that she not be there? If they were going to keep their stories straight, then they really should stay together.

  None of those arguments had swayed Kadir, but Cassandra knew how to get what she wanted from him. She’d asked the question…

  What if the man who blew up your yacht and started a fire in the photo shop comes here and I’m alone? What will I do, Kadir?

  It made no sense for the man who’d attempted to assassinate him—the man who had killed many innocents on the yacht in order to get to Kadir—to go after Cassandra. But there was also no guarantee that he would not.

  Kadir parked the pink motor scooter not too far from the ruined photo shop—and just a short walk from Simon York’s room at the small, nearly ancient Leonia Inn. The inn was four stories tall, narrow and near crumbling, but it was the cheapest hotel in town. Kadir was hoping to get to the inn without seeing anyone who might recognize him, but the plump woman he had seen outside the photo shop yesterday saw him and rushed from the candy shop to intercept him. He tried to ignore her, but she waved and shouted his false name.

  “Joe!” Pudgy fingers wiggled on her outstretched arm. Her run was an effort, and there was much jiggling as a result. “Joooooe!”

  On the sidewalk, he and Cassandra stopped and turned to face the woman. He never should’ve given her a name yesterday when she’d asked, not even a bogus one.

  The woman slowed down considerably when she realized that Kadir and Cassandra were not going to run from her. “Thank goodness I saw you,” she said in a loud, gasping whisper. “You really should know…” She stopped to catch her breath.

  “Know what?” Kadir asked as the plump woman came to a stop before him. Today she wore a name tag on her chocolate-stained apron. Mary.

  “It was very clear to me, and to the others, that you didn’t wish to speak to the police. I don’t know why.” Mary sounded slightly disapproving. “But you did a good thing, Joe, and we decided it wasn’t right that a good deed should bring you trouble. So, Henry told the officer who questioned us that he saw the smoke and pulled William out of the shop before the flames got out of hand. William was unconscious, so he can’t very well dispute the fact.”

  “Who is Henry?” Kadir asked, amused and relieved.

  “Henry is the red-haired fellow who was in my shop yesterday when all the ado took place. He’s a regular customer,” she added with a touch of pride. “He can’t get enough of my toffee.”

  “There were several witnesses,” Cassandra said.

  “Yes, but none were tourists. We all agreed that it would be best if Joe didn’t have to…well, we’re grateful that William was saved, and no good deed should bring a man unwanted attention. We all agreed.”

  “I take it William has regained consciousness?” Kadir asked, leaning slightly forward in anticipation. “Did he see anyone? Does he remember how the fire started or…” How much did Mary and the others know? “Does he remember anything at all?”

  “Not a thing,” Mary said in a no-nonsense voice. “He smelled smoke, turned and then he apparently fell and hit his head on the counter.”

  If that was what William remembered, then that’s what everyone would believe. Everyone but Kadir, at least. “I’m very glad that your friend is well.” He took Mary’s hand, bowed slightly and then kissed her knuckles. “Thank you, and many thanks to your friends, as well. I very much appreciate your discretion.” When he rose up again and looked at the candy maker’s face, she was blushing. Her cheeks were an outrageous shade of red.

  “It was nothing, really,” she said, breathless once again. “I just thought you should know.”

  “The fire was contained to the photo shop?” Cassandra asked.

  “Yes, luckily. None of the adjacent buildings were damaged, since no one shares a common wall with William’s shop. I have complained many times about keeping kids out of those narrow alleyways, and keeping them clean is always a chore, but today I’m grateful the alley between my shop and William’s is there.”

  “I’m very glad to hear that no one else suffered damage,” Kadir said.

  The candy maker waggled a finger at him. “You should stop by and try my toffee when you have the chance. Skinny girls like your girlfriend here don’t eat much candy, I understand that, but a strapping young man like yourself doesn’t have to worry about a few extra calories.�
��

  No one had called Kadir a young man in a very long time, but he supposed young was relative. “I will most definitely stop by and purchase some of your fine toffee.”

  Again Mary blushed.

  They said goodbye, and once again Kadir and Cassandra headed for Simon York’s inn.

  Just before they reached the doorway that would take them into a dimly lit and sparsely furnished lobby, Cassandra laughed.

  Kadir held the door open for her. “What is so funny?”

  She took his hand as they stepped inside the inn. “If you expect to pass yourself off as a Joe, you’re going to have to work on the accent, and for goodness’ sake, stop being so charming.”

  “Charming?”

  She squeezed his hand and her grin widened. “No one named Joe kisses a woman’s hand quite the way you do.”

  Chapter 12

  It was obvious to Cassandra that Kadir didn’t care for Simon York. She didn’t, either, for that matter. He’d hounded them, after all, and was responsible for that embarrassing photo that had gone into the Quiz. But it was possible the annoying photographer had knowledge they didn’t, so for now the three of them were working together.

  At the moment Kadir was speaking, and York furiously scribbled notes in a small tablet. The man wanted his exclusive—one way or another—and he listened to Kadir’s words as if there might be gold hidden among them.

  “Did you know,” Kadir said solemnly, “that Zahid Bin-Asfour and Prince Reginald met not long before the prince’s assassination? Three days before, to be precise.”

  “Yes, of course I knew that,” York said. It was an obvious lie. The sparkle in his beady eyes and the way he hurriedly scratched the information on his paper told Cassandra that much.